HUNTER MOUNTAIN MOURNS THE LOSS OF CO-FOUNDER

[manhattanskier]

HUNTER MOUNTAIN MOURNS THE LOSS OF
CO-FOUNDER ORVILLE A. SLUTZKY
February 13, 1917 - April 18, 2013
Orville A. Slutzky, 96, passed away April 18, 2013. Orville was born at home in Hunter, NY, on February 13, 1917, to Isaac and Ella (Miller) Slutzky. Orville grew up on the family farm in Jewett and graduated from Hunter Tannersville Central High School in 1937. As a young boy, he was involved in the family business, The Sunny Brook House, a small, summer boarding house and working farm which grew substantially in the twenties and thirties. It was here Orville learned many of the lessons that came to define him throughout his long and wonderful life.

During off times while in his high school years, Orville would work for various contractors learning more valuable lessons and talents in the construction business. After high school, Orville and his older brother Izzy went into the heavy construction business when they started I. & O. A. Slutzky in 1939, which is still in existence today. In the summer of 1941, Ethel Phillips, with her mother and aunt, came for a stay at The Sunny Brook House. Orville and Ethel soon fell in love and were wed the following summer on July 11. They were married for 67 years, until Ethel passed away in January 2010. Together, they raised three children, Carol (Peter) Slutzky-Tenerowicz, Paul (Amy) Slutzky and Gary (Barbara) Slutzky. Orville was predeceased by his older siblings, Dorothy Rosenfeld, Israel Slutzky and Sadye Schrager. He will be deeply missed by his family, including nine grandchildren (Michelle Byrne, Jamie Grant, Meghan Ginsburg, Jake Slutzky, Sarah Slutzky, Rachael Tenerowicz, Elizabeth Cahill, Shana Pellitteri, and Tanner Slutzky), five great-grandchildren, as well as nieces, nephews, and many friends and acquaintances.

Orville joined the Army in January, 1942 and before long became a First Sergeant. He eventually was part of the 1032nd Air Material Squadron of the 568th Air Service Group. In service with the Army during WWII for just under four years, Orville earned the admiration of his men and accolades from his superiors. When he was offered a commission, he turned it down because he didn’t want to leave his men. Orville spent close to two years overseas, primarily in India until he was discharged in November 1945.

After the war, Orville and Izzy picked up where they left off with the construction business. Together, they built roads, bridges, restaurants, schools, hospitals, drive in theaters, shopping centers and motels. In the late 1950s, the tourism industry locally was dying. The Village and Town of Hunter were in decline. Trains no longer carried throngs of summer visitors, and local hotels and boarding houses were closing and vanishing, including The Sunny Brook House. Concerned that their home town was going to wither away, the two brothers, along with some close local friends, began to float the idea of building a ski area with the idea that such a business would rejuvenate Hunter. They began to buy and add to the property their father had on Colonel’s Chair, a shoulder of Hunter Mountain. By 1959, Hunter Mountain Development Corp. was founded and subsequently financed by New York City theater investors. The Slutzky brothers’ crews sculpted the slopes and installed a double chair lift which was ready for opening in January 1960. The NYC group operated Hunter Mountain for two brief ski seasons; however, with few paying guests and mounting losses, it was necessary for the fledgling ski area to declare bankruptcy. Undaunted by the failure of the NYC group, Orville and Izzy took over ownership of the ski area in 1962. Orville assumed his position as General Manager of the day-to-day operation of Hunter Mountain Ski Bowl, where he remained for half a century until his retirement.

In the community, Orville was a good-hearted person who contributed to many community projects and helped countless people, often anonymously. At work, he was tireless and a treasured employer, working 12 to 14 hour days, year-round. Orville was a member of the Masons, The American Legion, and a life member of the Hunter Fire Department.


A celebration of his life will take place on Sunday, April 21, 2013, at 10:00 AM at the base lodge at Hunter Mountain in the Colonel’s Hall. The service will be led by Rabbi Daniel Fried. Interment will follow immediately after at the Maplewood Cemetery on Route 23A in South Jewett.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Hunter Fire Co. No. 1, Box 181, Hunter, NY 12442;
Tannersville FD Rescue Squad, Box 562, Tannersville, NY 12485; Mountaintop Historical Society, Box 263, Haines Falls, NY 12436; or, the charity of one’s choice.

[Eski]

I attended the memorial service which was nothing short of a packed house showing much love for the man, his accomplishments and mostly, his personal interactions with so many ... as his brother Izzy who had passed a few years before him, I have had nothing but respect and gratitude for what they've done for the community up here

[manhattanskier]

Thanks for sharing. People like him have made the great sport we have today, forever thankful for them.

[millerm277]

Sad to hear, I ran into him quite a few times in the lodge, great man, and he (and his brother) built a great ski area.